8 Data Security Resolutions for Your Organization in 2019

With the continued enforcement of GDPR, evolving cybercrime tactics, advancements in AI, and the spread of privacy focused legislation, 2019 is shaping up to be an interesting year in data and cybersecurity. Make sure you’ve checked these data security best practices off your list for a safer, more secure 2019.

1. Lock Down Data Access

If you collect and manage sensitive data, you have to take extra care to guard against any unauthorized access. While it’s not a comforting thought to entertain, there are people who would exploit sensitive data at their organizations if given the chance. Also, there are plenty of accidents that can happen unintentionally if the wrong people have access to data. Head off issues before they start by investing in a data collection solution that allows you to give data access only to the right people.

2. Remember the Basics

A surprising number of leaks of data from unprotected databases that didn’t even have basic password protection occurred in 2018, affecting companies such as the anonymous work-related social media app Blind and Amazon. In 2019 go back to the basics for data security best practices and make sure there are no gaps in your data security that could expose customer data.

Spearphishing efforts that target individuals and use specific information and relationships to exploit them for criminal purposes could be made more dangerous with the addition of AI.

Increasingly sophisticated attack toolkits make it easier and easier for nearly anyone to launch a cyberattack.

5. Embrace Multi-Factor Authentication

If you haven’t fully implemented one of the most important data security best practices, multi-factor authentication, at your organization, 2019 is the year to strive for it. The era of just using a password for protection is over. LastPass is one example of a tool that can help you implement multi-factor authentication across your organization and add additional security to the systems you use.

6. Explore AI, But Carefully

Advancements in AI software can be used to help drive better decisions, automate processes and even fend off cyber attacks, but there’s a downside as well. AI can be an attractive target for cyber attacks. Explore the benefits of using AI software for your own cybersecurity efforts, but make sure to do plenty of research into the company you choose as well.

8. Protect your PHI

Healthcare organizations are as attractive as ever to cybercriminals in 2019, due to the value of the data they could potentially gain. Medical data is sought-after on the dark web, costing up to $60 per medical record. Because of these threats and the value of healthcare data, it’s vital to ensure HIPAA compliance on any systems that you use to manage your PHI.

Want more data security best practices for a more secure 2019? Learn more about our HIPAA-compliant Compliance Cloud plan.